The box I didn’t want to open

I couldn’t bring myself to open it and go through its contents. I knew it was arriving, as I had received a call the day before that they were overnighting it to us. This is our first (of many to come) real piece of medical equipment. Eventually I had to at least peak at the contents, even if I didn’t want to see them.

Before it even arrived on Thursday I received a call from a Respiratory Therapist wanting to schedule a time that evening to set it up and show us how to use it.

This new piece of equipment is called The Vest. Alexander’s pulmonologist called it a percussive vest. It is a machine that attaches to a vest that is inflated with air and vibrates Alex’s chest quite forcefully. It is used to loosen mucus in the chest to prevent infections. We have to give him 20 minute treatments twice a day, everyday. It is a little alarming at first. It vibrates much harder than you expect it to. Alexander only cried briefly when we first turned it on though. Once he relaxed, he actually fell asleep during his first treatment.

The Vest now resides on the left end table beside our sofa. I’m sure it will soon become just another part of the scenery of SMA life.